It's a Wonderful Loft
by ImJudyGarland
Summary: Jess is sick and tired of life in the loft these days. What if she had never moved in at all? A little Nick/Jess Christmas fic. Hope you enjoy!


**Here's my contribution to Hiatus Havoc. I wrote it in two hours, so please forgive any mistakes. Merry Ness-mas to all!**

Jess was furious. She slammed her bedroom door and dove face first into her bed, screaming into a pillow. She couldn't take it anymore. She was a thirty two year old woman living in a loft with three men. Boys. _Children_.

Damn, they were worse than her school kids sometimes.

Schmidt had instituted a new loft policy with a demerit system, and he was on a rampage, enforcing new rules left and right. Stomping his feet like a bratty five year old when they inevitably resisted. "Schmidt, I'm gonna start giving you time outs if you don't back off."

Winston and his new booty-call Bertie had decided to make their mark on every room of the loft, leaving shoes, clothes and other assorted _accoutrements_ wherever they went. She felt like Schmidt, yelling at the new couple to "knock off the shenanigans." This wasn't like her.

But she had felt on edge lately. Her and Nick had been arguing more and more often, and over the most ridiculous things. Her room had become a trash heap of take out boxes and beer cans and Nick's dirty clothes that he discarded haphazardly around her room after coming home late from the bar. He continually left his shoes in the middle of the floor, and she was constantly tripping over them trying to navigate her way in his darkened room at night. The last time she twisted her ankle so badly, she had to hobble around for a week.

Seriously, when did she become the mother around here? She felt like an unappreciated housewife, the words _sick and tired _on a loop inside her head.

Jess let out an puff of exasperation. She turned out her bedside lamp and slid her exhausted, fully clothed body underneath her comforter. The day she moved into the loft suddenly flashed through her mind. It had been almost three years since that day.

_What if I had never moved into the loft? How different would my life be now?_

Jess sighed and rolled over on her side, immediately falling into a deep sleep.

~NG~

Jess blinked her eyes a few times, trying to make them adjust to the scattered red and white lights surrounding the bar. She sat alone in a booth at Clyde's, a half empty glass of pink wine in front of her.

_That's strange. I don't remember coming here._

Glancing around her, she noticed a man in an expensive looking suit sitting in the booth next to her. He was also alone, if you didn't count the bottle of Stoli which he kept pouring generously into his glass of ice. She watched him down at least three refills before she caught his profile. _Nick?_

At least it looked like Nick. But what was he doing wearing a suit and drinking alone? Jess moved quickly over and slid into the booth next to him. He raised his head and rested his hazy brown eyes on her face. He didn't seem to recognize her.

"Well, hello miss. Can I help you with something?"

"Very funny, Nick, but I'm not really in the mood for role playing right now."

He narrowed his eyes and laughed mirthlessly. "Lady, I haven't played at anything for as long as I can remember."

Jess just stared at him. He looked different. His eyes had bags beneath them and he looked a little haggard. But his beard was shaved clean and his hair appeared to be styled into a definite coiff. _Since when did Nick use hair care products? This must have been Schmidt's doing._

"Nick, what are you doing? I thought you were working tonight? Why aren't you at the bar? And why are you sitting here in a suit and tie getting drunk alone?"

"Look, miss. You are a very attractive woman, and any other time I'd be invading your booth and buying you a drink. But tonight, I really just want sit here alone and drink."

He wasn't making any sense. Jess started to panic. Seen had seen Nick drunk a thousand times, but he had never been so drunk that he didn't even know her. She grasped his arm and spoke softly to him.

"Nick, I know. We haven't been getting along very well lately. But, don't do this, okay? If you want some space, just be honest with me. You don't have to put on an act."

Nick seemed to try to make eye contact with her, but couldn't quite make his eyes focus on any one part of her face. "What's your name, honey?"

Jess felt anger welling up in her. "What's my name? It's Jess, you clown. Are you trying to get me mad at you, because it's working."

Nick smirked up at her. "Well, _Jess_, let me tell you about my day. It started with a 7 am court case that lasted til 5 and ended with a son of a bitch lawyer gloating about his victory all the way to the parking lot. This is the third case I've lost this month. Did you ever wake up one day and realize you are stuck in a job you hate with no way out? Didn't think so." He filled his glass again and hastily drank it's entire contents.

Jess looked around the bar, an eerie feeling taking over. Everything looked different. A man she didn't recognize manned the bar. _Where was Bob? He always took over for Nick. _

As she scanned the bar itself, she saw Schmidt sitting on a stool next to Winston. She threw her head back in Nick's direction and practically barked orders at him. "Don't move, okay! I mean it. I''ll be right back."

"I'll be here darlin."

Jess approached Schmidt and Winston. They both wore khakis and polo shirts, both were rapidly drinking from beer bottles, lining the empty ones up along the bar before moving quickly onto another. "Yeah! I'm winning this game of Beer. I shall not be defeated!"

"Guys, what gives? Schmidt, you are drinking domestic beer?"

They both looked her up and down. "Man, we don't see girls like you at the Gap very often. You wanna join in? You can keep score. Then you can drive us home and I can rock your world, baby girl!"

"Ew! Schmidt! The Gap? You are shopping at the Gap now?"

Winston hooted in her direction. "Honey, we work there. And if you come by on Sunday, we'll slip you some ten percent off coupons!"

Jess turned around just in time to see CeCe slink into Nick's booth, grab his arm and kiss him on the cheek._ Um, WHAT now?_

"CeCe! What the hell are you doing? Nick's been drinking and he's very...amnesiacal. Yeah, that's a word. Whatever. This is really not funny, Cece."

"Listen, angelface, I don't know who you are, but me and Nick have a _history_, okay? So back off." CeCe continued to run her manicured hands up and down his arm seductively. Nick seemed unaffected.

"Look, Ceece, not tonight, okay? I know we have hooked up a few times before, but I'm just not feelin it, alright?"

Jess felt hot tears burn her eyes. Was this a joke? NIck was a lawyer, hooking up with CeCe? Schmidt and Winston looked like frat-house rejects in their fifth year of college. Nobody knew her. How did this happen?

Suddenly she remembered the night before, her mental ranting about being sick and tired of the guys and their nonsense. _Oh crap. This could not be happening. _

So this is my personal _It's a Wonderful Freaky Friday _experience?

Jess practically ran back over to the booth. She saw CeCe disappear into the ladies room, leaving Nick alone.

"Nick! Are you for real here? You really don't know me?"

She sat down next to him and put her hands on either side of his face. He was way too many drinks in to resist her anymore, letting her rub his cheeks her thumbs. He locked his dilated eyes with hers. "No. I'm sorry. Really." His voice trailed off but this time he seemed genuine.

Jess let her hands drop to her lap, tears streaming down her face. This was not what she wanted. She was just tired and burned out. Jessica Day was the eternal optimist. But everyone has their low points. She just wanted her life back.

And Nick. That was the worst part. Sitting at a bar looking hopeless and alone, drinking himself numb. His eyes looked at her appreciating her beauty, but they didn't see her, the way he had always_ seen her_, right through to her core.

No matter how bad life seemed or what changes came her way, Nick was always there. He knew her. He cared about her. He_ loved _her. And now all that was gone. In that moment, she would've given anything to get that back. _Anything._

Jess felt a hand gently stroking her hair. She opened her eyes to see Nick's scruffy face looking down at her. "Hey. Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep again. Freaky."

Jess blinked several times, just staring up at Nick, not sure if she was awake or asleep.

"Freaky," she repeated.

Nick laughed softly. "That's what you kept saying. Must have been a crazy dream. Hey, you're shaking. Come here." Nick gathered her trembling body up into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. Jess rested her head there and listened to the steady beat of his heart. She slid her arms around him and squeezed as hard a she could. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Man, I've never seen you so weirded out by a dream before. It's okay. You're okay, Jess."

He lifted her chin up and kissed her lips tenderly. She couldn't remember Nick ever treating her this gently, this carefully. Man, she loved this man.

Jess relaxed in his arms, letting reality set back in. "Don't ever be a lawyer, okay?"

Nick laughed out loud. "Um, okay?"

Jess laughed softly. "And don't worry about being messy, crazy grumpy Nick. Just be _my _Nick, okay?"

"You got it, Day."


End file.
